The queer hockey romance Heated Rivalry is gearing up for a second season and recent online activity has sparked fresh speculation about the show’s direction. An alleged casting call that circulated on Threads and fan channels lists several roles drawn from Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novel sequence, suggesting the series will widen its roster of on-ice players and off-ice lovers. The leak connects the television adaptation directly back to the source material while also flagging scenes that may feature intimate content, body-focused shots and character-driven arcs that fans have long hoped to see.
While production teams rarely confirm details from leaked paperwork, the document provides a concrete view of which characters might join the ensemble and how they could be portrayed. The sheet names specific roles and includes descriptive notes about age ranges, physical traits and on-screen requirements. If accurate, the casting hints at a season that will balance romance, team dynamics and personal discovery, and that will continue to adapt multiple entries from Reid’s Game Changers books into a serialized TV format.
Who the leak says will join season two
The casting list reportedly brings in characters from several books in the Game Changers series: the awkward forward Ryan Price and musician Fabian Salah from Tough Guy, Eric Bennett from Common Goal, plus others such as Harris Drover and teammates like Wyatt Hayes and Luca Haas. The note that Ryan might be “possibly red-headed” and Fabian will embody an androgynous aesthetic shows producers are considering visual fidelity to the novels. The sheet also flags roles like Dallas Kent, who is billed as a homophobic antagonist, and an actress to play Ilya’s therapist, Dr Galina Molchalina, with a requirement that she speak fluent Russian to match the character’s language in later books.
Casting specifics and on-screen requirements
Alongside character descriptions, the leaked pages reportedly specify intimate scene content: Ryan and Fabian’s storyline is marked to include “implied sex, nudity and kissing,” while several new male characters are noted to be shown “bare-chested, bare buttocks,” though the callout explicitly states there will be “no full frontal nudity.” Such notes indicate how the production may handle sexual content—focusing on suggestive and body-positive representations rather than explicit imagery. The presence of the therapist role also signals the show will continue to explore mental health and cultural identity through dialogue-heavy scenes requiring language nuances.
Returning figures and established relationships
Season one centred on the romance between Ilya (played by Connor Storrie) and Shane (Hudson Williams), and the leaked casting suggests that other familiar names will reappear. Kyle Swift, who made a brief appearance as a younger player in season one and was played by Matthew Finlan, is named again; Finlan has said publicly that he is ready to return even if the character’s romantic journey remains uncertain. The leak also confirms that Scott (François Arnaud) and Kip (Robbie GK)—a couple adapted early in the TV run—will continue to exist within the show’s universe as the ensemble expands.
New romantic arcs and character development
One of the more notable additions is Eric Bennett, the lead of book four, described on the sheet as in his early 40s, recently divorced, exploring bisexuality and anxious about re-entering the queer dating scene. That profile suggests a mature, character-driven subplot that contrasts with the younger athletes’ coming-of-age stories. Meanwhile, Harris Drover from book five is labelled “cute, disarming” and “very funny,” and his potential partner Troy Barrett has been the subject of casting rumours linking a known actor to the role. Together, these introductions point to season two broadening both age ranges and tonal textures across its romantic storylines.
Production timetable and links to forthcoming books
Behind the scenes, showrunner Jacob Tierney has confirmed plans to return to the series “as soon as humanly possible,” and promotional communications indicate production was expected to begin in the summer with a target of a spring 2027 premiere on platforms including HBO Max and Canadian streamer Crave. Tierney has mentioned he is writing the new season and that principal cast members, including Connor and Hudson, are lined up to film when schedules permit. Those timelines align with author Rachel Reid announcing that her seventh Game Changers book, Unrivaled, will be published in 2027, keeping the literary source material fresh as the show expands.
Taken together, the leaked casting material, cast confirmations and published plans from creative leads sketch a season that aims to honour the books while broadening its on-screen world. Fans should treat the leaked list as an indicator rather than a finalized roster, but the document offers an early look at how Heated Rivalry season two might marry hockey action, romantic complexity and sensitive portrayals of identity when it returns to screens.